Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.
Variety denomination: HyRed.
The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cranberry clonal variety having significantly higher red pigment, short seasonal maturity, improved vigor and a yield at least comparable to other commercial varieties.
The American cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait., is a small fruit grown in the temperate regions of the world. The United States is presently the major producer of cranberries, with the combined Wisconsin and Massachusetts harvests accounting for about 80% of the total U.S. annual production.
Although the cranberry is well known for its tart flavor, the principal value component is its red pigment (anthocyanin) content, measured as total anthocyanin (TAcy) in mg per 100 grams fresh fruit. The importance of the pigment content is recognized by most processors as they are known to give a color incentive payment for the delivery of cranberries having a TAcy greater than 30. The incentive payment can be economically important, especially during years of low fruit prices.
Unfortunately, cranberry growers in regions with colder fall weather, such as the north-central portion of the United States, often harvest their cultivars before full fruit color development to avoid freezing injury and icing problems in the low-lying cranberry beds. As a result, regions with a longer growing season, such as Washington and Oregon, produce cranberries with average TAcy levels of 50-60 mg of red pigment/100 gms, whereas cranberries grown in Wisconsin average a TAcy level at 33 mg/100 gms.
Cranberry selections grown today have not yet experienced the extensive breeding as seen in other fruit-bearing species. Many selections were derived directly from native areas or from managed beds of mixed origin. For example, xe2x80x98Ben Learxe2x80x99 (unpatented) is a cranberry selection taken directly from the wild in Wisconsin in the early 1900s, and is widely grown in short-seasonal areas due to its early fruit development and high color content. The average TAcy content for xe2x80x98Ben Learxe2x80x99 in Wisconsin is a TAcy of 42.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture undertook, in cooperation with state experimental stations, one generation of breeding in an attempt to improve U.S. cranberry cultivars. The breeding resulted in the introduction of the xe2x80x98Stevensxe2x80x99 (unpatented) variety in the 1950s. The xe2x80x98Stevensxe2x80x99 variety is today the most widely grown cultivar and is characterized by dependably high yields, but only moderate color development, especially in short-seasonal regions such as Wisconsin (Wisconsin average TAcy of 34). Another cultivar released from this program, xe2x80x98Pilgrimxe2x80x99 (unpatented), is less widely grown than xe2x80x98Stevensxe2x80x99 is characterized by relatively large, but more lightly colored fruit than xe2x80x98Stevensxe2x80x99.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cranberry variety. The variety is designated xe2x80x98HyRedxe2x80x99 and is derived from a cross of the xe2x80x98Stevensxe2x80x99 variety and a selection designated as xe2x80x98Ben Lear #8xe2x80x99, (unpatented) which was derived from an open-pollinated population of seedlings of xe2x80x98Ben Learxe2x80x99. xe2x80x98HyRedxe2x80x99 exhibits significantly higher red pigment (up to 3 fold higher), short seasonal maturity, excellent vigor, and a yield at least comparable to other commercial varieties.
In 1990, a limited breeding program was launched with the goal of developing for Wisconsin and other regions with short growing seasons, cranberry hybrids that produce dependably high yields of early-maturing, high color fruit. It was hoped that such hybrids would dependably capture available color incentives and provide for an early harvest so as to allow an extended harvest season, thus optimizing harvest and handling operations and reducing the risk of unpredictable late-season weather events.